NEW SINGLE REMIX – TYSON ‘Promises’ Karen Nyame KG Remix
NEW SINGLE REMIX – TYSON ‘Promises’ Karen Nyame KG Remix Last month, Karen Nyame KG, a luminary in the UK funky house and amapiano scene, dropped her transformative remix of trailblazing TYSON’s “Promises.” 13.12.23 Words by Aude Flanda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbyRRExHixE The original track underwent a metamorphosis under KG’s deft touch, elevating it into a more catchy club-esque banger that blends elements of modern sounds from lively amapiano drum patterns with the slow, soulful essence of the original. Rising artist, KG, aka the “Goddess of Rhythm” has illuminated the dance music scene for almost a decade now and her career – from early tracks like ‘Feeling Funky’, the iconic Boiler room session at Primavera Sound Festival, to becoming a pioneer in the UK funky movement – is marked by perseverance and overcoming barriers like misogynoir and colorism. Noteworthy is her role as production lead for the ‘Normal Not Novelty workshop series’ (NNN), which holds a judgment-free space for women and non-binary folks to learn technical skills in music. KG’s distinct sound, characterized by electronic, R&B and resonant sub-bass, is a vibrant tapestry deeply rooted in the African diaspora and has embraced collabs with the likes of Mista Silva and Scratch DVA across various genres, from South African amapiano to US Jersey Club. ‘Promises rmx’ lives up to this, infusing TYSON’s track with big energy and eclectic vibes. It offers a bittersweet sonic exploration, drawing from TYSON’s reflection into broken promises while embracing a freedom of expression through bouncy percussive elements which mirror life’s ups and downs. Combined with a dreamy ambiance, featuring echoey vocals, it immerses the listener into a world where self-expression converges on a dancefloor filled with dynamic rhythms and melodies. KG mentions the importance of organic connections and synergy in collaborations, claiming that she feels ‘the magic of such relationships can seep through the art they create’. Exemplary of this is the remix, self released by TYSON through her ‘Ladies music pub’ (LMP) label, which not only showcases KG’s production skills but also shines light on her commitment to creating safe spaces for marginalised artists. Inspired by TYSON’s own challenges with discrimination in music, LMP is a community with a mission parallel to KG’s NNN, as it aims to nurture up and coming talent within the realm of women and non-binary individuals. We’re definitely feeling the connection in this track and can’t wait to see more from the duo! View this post on Instagram A post shared by TYSON (@__tyson) You Might Also Like
IN CONVERSATION – L Dot ‘Hoodie SZN’
Photo Credit: Christopher Miller (Instagram: @cam_7th) IN CONVERSATION – L Dot ‘Hoodie SZN’ Hoodie SZN is Tottenham rapper L Dot’s new project, which is being released one track at a time, every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday throughout December. It’s a unique piece of work, covering an incredibly personal range of topics and showcasing her exhilarating talent and versatility. 14.12.23 Words by Paul Bacon Here’s a few problems pulling me down like gravity, 90% of people love my personality, And success comes naturally, So now the 10% are mad at me. L Dot – Capricorn Problems Photo Credit: Christopher Miller (Instagram: @cam_7th) Within about 30 seconds of meeting L Dot, it becomes clear why she’s so easy to like. Her infectious aura is hard to quantify or explain, “I’m used to being the loud person in the room, the animated person and people gravitate towards this energy that I’m giving off,” she says. When we talk, she’s wearing a black hoody, fittingly emblazoned with her Hoodie SZN logo, the hood up over her head and pulled down to just above her eyebrows. I can probably see about two thirds of her face, and most of that is covered by her smile. So what’s with that other 10% of people? “Sometimes when you are accepted by the masses you get this cold energy from a minority group of people,” she explains, “As I’ve got older, I’m less offended by that, but when I was young it was harder to understand.” As I speak to L Dot, she is in the midst of Hoodie SZN, her most ambitious project to date. “Throughout the month of December, I’m releasing high quality new music every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, all with visuals” she outlines. That’s thirteen tracks dropping across thirty-one days during the twelfth month of twenty twenty-three. Clearly L Dot isn’t using this holiday season to rest, “I want to be able to show people how versatile I am and give them loads of different things but in a way that’s still a cohesive package.” That is exactly what L Dot has achieved with Hoodie SZN, somehow blending a diverse collection of beats, flows and concepts which illustrate her lyrical dexterity, vocal agility and an ability to change mood as quickly as she can change rhythm and genre. From boom bap era sounds, to high tempo grime and reflective R&B, Hoodie SZN has it all, accompanied by slickly produced social media videos. L Dot hails from Tottenham, North London. When it comes to musical heritage, few places can compete with Tottenham’s roster of revered residents; from global superstar Adele to soul singer Lemar, grime legends such as Skepta, JME, Wretch 32 and Chip, and drill icons like Abra Cadabra and Headie One. L Dot says growing up in a place so steeped in musical prestige, particularly with regards to rappers, has had a big impact on her craft, “To have these people to be able to say cool, you look like me and you’re from where I’m from, it makes it seem feasible, doable, attainable, achievable.” L Dot has been immersed in music all her life. She grew up in a musical family, and then spent her school lunchtimes making use of the music department’s studio. She learnt how to use the equipment and recorded songs with her friends, whilst their peers were kicking ball and gossiping in the lunch hall. “We’d be begging the music teacher to let us in the studio for free, we were just broke secondary school kids!” she remembers. Amongst those lunchtime lyricists were Drifty and Chinny, two of L Dot’s long-term friends and collaborators, with whom she combines to form their trio F2D, “Myself and Chinny have always had a little to and fro where if he’s written a verse I’ll be like I need to rewrite mine, then he wants to add a little more pizzazz to his, so we always had that kind of battle of lyricism,” and what about Drifty? “He’s also lethal with the lyrics but he brings a different type of flavour and energy. When you put all that together, it’s a really cool package.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSNwNdQmsMg Period. Back hurting. Crap mood lurking. Whole womb shredding and they still want me working. L Dot – WomanHood Undeniably, one of the standout tracks on Hoodie SZN is ‘WomanHood’. Initially the beat conjures nostalgia of 2Pac’s ‘Do for love’, but that’s where the familiar feelings end, because this is song like nothing you’ve heard before. To put it simply, it’s about periods. “I want to make things relatable but also unique, and I just thought no one’s rapping about this!” says L Dot explaining her thought process. “We’re going through this every month. We even have female rappers going through this every month and nobody is putting it to a beat.” Using rap to describe the challenges of womanhood is bold, especially considering the particularly paradoxical position women in Hip Hop have often occupied. “For a long time, a female rapper might get to be ‘the one’, maybe there might be two, but you certainly couldn’t pick your top ten. That’s just the way it was,” explains L Dot. Female emcees have actually always been there, from originators like Sha-Rock and Roxanne Shante, through to the 80s with MC Lyte and Queen Latifah, to Lil’ Kim and Lauryn Hill in the 90s, before the likes of Missy Elliott started to become household names. “Now it’s not only Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, there’s so many others like Lola Brooks, Sexy Red and then in the UK we have people like Little Sims, great pen. Women are taking over rap, it’s our time to shine”. This is exciting, particularly in a music landscape shadowed in controversy surrounding gender inequality. Since 2000, only 4 female artists have headlined Glastonbury (one being L Dot’s fellow Tottenham-ite Adele), and other festivals having been criticised for similarly poor track records. But L Dot feels now is a good